Sports update: Iowa-Indiana game postponed after metal falls into stands

Tuesday

Feb 18, 2014 at 7:00 PM

Indiana postponed Tuesday night's game against No. 15 Iowa after an 8-foot piece of metal fell into the seats from the ceiling at Assembly Hall.

The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana postponed Tuesday night's game against No. 15 Iowa after an 8-foot piece of metal fell into the seats from the ceiling at Assembly Hall.

Athletic director Fred Glass said the school made the decision after the piece, roughly 8 feet long and 14 inches wide, fell into the lower bowl of the arena and damaged seats in the northwest corner. The accident occurred about six hours before the scheduled tip time at 9 p.m.

No makeup date was announced. Iowa (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten) is in third place in the league standings while the Hoosiers (14-11, 4-8) are near the bottom.

"Safety is our No.1 priority," Glass said. "Our university engineers have advised us to postpone events in Assembly Hall until it can be determined what caused the facing to fall and ensure the safety of everyone attending an event in the facility."

The men's basketball team has only two other home games scheduled this season — March 2 against Ohio State and March 5 against Nebraska. Indiana's women's team is scheduled to play at Assembly Hall on Wednesday night against Michigan. Glass said no decision has yet been made about that game.

Video of the the accident

Assembly Hall, one of college basketball's iconic facilities, opened during the 1971-72 season and holds more than 17,000 fans, but there have not been many changes made inside the building since it opened.

Last month, school officials announced that Cindy Simon Skjodt was donating $40 million to help renovate the facility, which will be renamed the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Among the planned changes are a new entryway, remodeled bathrooms and concession stands, and a big, new video scoreboard along with box seats above the south baseline bleachers.